Tag: Steven Booth

When we first met the wonderful and comedic personality of Penny Miller, one of the strongest main female characters ever to exist in my opinion, it was in a book series titled The Hungry– an intriguing take on the zombie apocalypse. I was thrilled and excited to see what lies ahead for Penny, so I sat anxiously waiting for something new in Penny’s world to come out… I guess you could say that Penny is like a book girlfriend to me; her badass-ness and take charge but no bull attitude makes me eager to see what she has to endure next. Finally, Steven Booth and Harry Shannon gave us what we’re looking for- only, this time we get to experience events that happened before the zombies broke out. I have to say that the times that I went through with Penny in action, the humor and numerous insults and phrase with the zombie apocalypse, I had to question what else she could face that would be on par or even worse than that. Booth and Shannon answered that very question with Blood Desert, a prequel of sorts to The Hungry.

In Blood Desert, we meet Penny Miller in the not too distant past before the zombies ever turned into their undead status and we get to see more of Terrill Lee, the conspiracy freak- or otherwise known as Penny’s ex-husband. It all starts with the theory of a rancher dying suspiciously and the town is introduced to two newcomers, Dorinda McMaster and Cheryl Smith. McMaster and Smith open up shop in Miller’s town, drawing new business from different kinds of places and with that, bringing a completely new type of crowd. With drugs, motorcycle gangs, and an annoying Mayor who is always on her back, Penny is forced to have to trust in her crazed, conspiracy nut ex who is convinced that the mysterious death of the rancher was only the first to transpire amidst the chaos that has come to town. His theory is that the ruckus is coming from vampires but can she really believe Terrill lee on what is happening in Flat Rock- even if there’s proof? Will it be too late for the residents of Flat Rock (and Penny’s loved ones) to be able to fight the undead bloodsuckers off? You’ll have to find out for yourself.

If you haven’t read The Hungry, you should check it out as I think it gives you more that you need to know to understand a bit more of Penny and Terrill Lee’s relationship. This one digs a bit deeper, than in the first book for The Hungry– although I have yet to read the others in the series (there’s six altogether). What Booth and Shannon bring us in Blood Desert is a new fear in Flat Rock that you will be frightened to come across. Their take on the vampire genre is kind of like The Lost Boys, which excites me more than ever because I thought those type of vampires were long dead- excuse the pun- and forgotten. Booth and Shannon risked it and they did not disappoint with bringing a new type of monster raging around in Blood Desert.

I have to applaud Steven Booth and Harry Shannon yet again for another fascinating novel featuring the kick-ass Ms. Miller. They brought us the same quirky attitude, comedic scenes that we will never forget and the foul mouths that we’ve come to love. They also brought us the inner workings of a new- or would it be old since it’s in the past? – development that will be the next great series of what happened before the flesh eating zombies that we have already been introduced to. Booth and Shannon are a talented writing duo that is a force to be reckoned with, we are never aware of who wrote what, which is exactly how it should be. They made a beautiful and attractive novel that will get the eyes of many readers that will hopefully get those film directors and producers to make the Penny Miller novels into epic films because to see Penny on the big screen would be every guys wet dream come true. Booth and Shannon are masters of their craft as they keep us hooked by reeling us in and shocking us until the end as we suddenly dive off a cliff, waiting for the next installment.

How many movies, books and comics are out there that have something to do with the undead? Answer: a lot. How many of them actually stuck with you that made you fall in love with and become a lifelong fan? Not many, I’m sure. Well, I am here to say that I have found one in the world of apocalyptic undead scenarios that is unlike anything else that is out there. The Hungry, created by the brilliant minds of Steven Booth and Harry Shannon, brings you a truly different class of zombies that will bring you back to the conspiracy politics of George A. Romero that is truly unique and not clichéd. There is enough non-stop action to have you teetering on the edge of your seat, focusing in on the pages- one right after the other. It will challenge you to try not to wake anyone that is sleeping while you laugh and may keep your panties bunching in effort to not piss yourself. I’m not sure how they did this but Booth and Shannon have created the perfect start of a series that will continue on for years to come when we join Sheriff Miller as the rise of the undead starts.

Penny Miller, the star of The Hungry, is a strong female character that is in the midst of an apocalyptic zombie uprising. In the town of Flat Rock, Nevada, she will do whatever it takes to protect those that she has been sworn in to serve as sheriff. Around every corner she is met with the uptick in the zombie population, a murderous and lawless biker gang, a pathetic former husband, National Guardsmen who are ruthless- stopping at nothing to fulfill their orders- and meeting the scientist who is responsible for the zombie outbreak. There are so many more different characters to name that you will build connections with, even loving to hate, that you will never forget. The details give you enough to vividly see the scenario play out in your head as you read. The Hungry mixes up a madness of gore, sexiness, action, violence and humor that is laid out perfectly within the pages to keep you hooked- reeling you in until the end and giving you one hell of a cliff to hang on to as you wait to start the next book in the series.

Okay, so I admit that this is the first book about a zombie apocalypse that really hooked me in by the side of my mouth and made me drool on almost every page- leaving me Hungry for more. I mean, who doesn’t want to see a top notch strong female character with a nasty mouth in a white wedding dress? Penny Miller is my new Lara Croft. I would love to see how far this goes- it is already a six book series with a side story, Blood Desert, coming out towards the end of 2017. Miller actually reminds me of Uma Thurman in Kill Bill; yes, Black Mamba in a wedding dress with the attitude of the minds that put Miller together, Steven Booth and Harry Shannon. Booth and Shannon then takes the story and invites the world of Sons of Anarchy into this alternate universe, making it a great read from start to finish with some truly unforgettable phrases. Hopefully, one day we will see this as a television series or the next cult classic zombie film as this series has more going for it then Resident Evil– yes I said it and it’s true, Miller is a much more believable and stronger character than Alice.

I bow and clap my hands together to honor the design and layout of every character within created by Steven Booth and Harry Shannon; they are both very talented and have perfected their skills to allow them to present the outcomes surrounding Sheriff Miller. Almost as if they had gotten together to come up with an idea for a movie and just decided to say ‘You know what? Let’s make a book series instead and let the readers beg for a movie later.’ They are passionate about what they do, as you can see from the book, and will become legends in the zombie world if they haven’t already made it there. It was a great privilege to read this non-stop page turner through until the end of this chapter- which reminds me, I need to move on from here and see what happens in the second book, The Hungry 2: The Wrath of God. I am proud to say that I will read anything that comes from Booth and Shannon, and I say that if anyone who does not stop for a moment to read this will regret it, because here sits a truly fascinating story that you have been waiting for in the undead realm.